Convention of the 24
Convention of the 24 is a blogpasta written by Staccato from January 7th to February 11th. It is the first story set in The Four Roses Verse and is told in the form of twenty-five short stories that form a cohesive narrative. It has received extremely positive reception for its unique portrayals of The Fears. It can be read here. Plot Synopsis Each story is told from the perspective of a younger Constant Wanderer as they traverse through the domains of The Mysterious Semblances at the Strand of Nightmares. Although the true purpose behind these expeditions are kept a mystery from the Constant Wanderer, Choronzon assures them that the truth will eventually be revealed. During their journy the Wanderer encounters the ruler of each domain they visit, where they are either imparted with a disturbing revelation concerning their true nature or killed by the Mysterious Semblance in question. After encountering the final Semblance (Spirit Fingers), the Wanderer returns to Chronozon's domain after. It is at this point the Wanderer is told the reason they are there; they were allowed to explore the domains unscathed as part of an agreement between the Fears and another, unnamed group of beings. However, since this pact never said that the Wanderer had to be set free, the Fears decided to trap them in an endless cycle where they are forced to repeat the events of the story forever, only to have their memories erased once they realize this. As Chronozon begins to engulf the Constant Wanderer, they remember a name that can only be seen by highlighting the text: The Pure White Rose. Immediately afterwards, the Wanderer repeats the introduction, restarting the cycle again. Trivia *All of the Fears' alternate names are taken from songs, mostly by the electronic group Tangerine Dream. *Choronzon, the nickname given to The Archangel, is a demon that originated from the writing of 16th century occultists Edward Kelley and John Dee. He is an important figure of the religion Thelema founded by ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley, where he is described as the greatest obstacle against reaching enlightenment and is capable of destroying the ego completely. He can also be summoned using a triangle. * The description of The Black Dog's domain was inspired by the moors seen in the 1981 horror comedy film An American Werewolf in London. * The MiSSiNg MADRIGAL MERIDIAN fragment was inspired by the last chapter of James Joyce's Ulysses. * The line about singing the dying Earth to sleep in the MiSSiNg STRATOSFEAR fragment is a homage to the short story The Deathbird, by American writer Harlan Ellison. * The title of MiSSiNg FINNEGAN'S WAKE is a reference to the James Joyce novel of the same name. *The verse “''Better stay away from him, he will rip your lungs out''” in MiSSiNg DESERT DREAM comes from the song "Werewolves of London", by Warren Zevon. * The insect facts mentioned in the MiSSiNg FAUNI-GENA fragment came from a 2009 Cracked article titled The 7 Most Horrifying Parasites on the Planet. The article was actually posted to the Intrusion thread of the Fear Mythos forum by Proxiehunter a month before Staccato started writing Convention of the 24. *The Dying Man Shards described as "one of them is actually two of them, male and female silhouettes holding their hands, the latter smiling wickedly" are The Coward and The Dethroned Queen respectively. *The Camper who dives into the Topography Ocean is meant to be Samantha Grant. *Cockroach Jesus makes a brief cameo appearance during one of The Grotesque's dreams sequences. Category:Blogs Category:2013 Blogs Category:Completed Blogs Category:The Constant Wanderer Category:The Four Roses Verse